Ballon d'or africain 2026 : « honteux », « la CAF a spoilé le vainqueur »... des Sénégalais crient déjà à l'injustice
It's confirmed: the CAF Awards ceremony will be held on December 2nd in Lagos , Nigeria. The football world will discover on that day who will succeed Achraf Hakimi as the continent's best player of the year. Three Senegalese players (Sadio Mané, Pape Guèye, and Ismaïla Sarr) are in contention, notably against Achraf Hakimi, for this title.
However, the date initially chosen for the ceremony was December 7th. In its statement, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) did not explain the reasons for this change, but some Senegalese have a theory. According to several of our compatriots, the CAF changed the date of the ceremony to allow Moroccan player Achraf Hakimi to attend.
Indeed, on December 8, the day after the originally scheduled date, PSG travels to Aston Villa for a Champions League match. Achraf Hakimi, one of the favorites, would therefore have been unable to attend the CAF Awards. For many, this move by CAF suggests that the PSG right-back would be the clear winner of the trophy, and that the governing body acted to prevent his absence from being a source of controversy.
Read also: "African Ballon d'Or 2026: Senegal places three contenders in the race"
This "spoiler" from CAF was poorly received by many Senegalese, who believe Ismaïla Sarr deserves the 2026 African Player of the Year award more. It must be said that the Crystal Palace winger is coming off an exceptional season, having won the Conference League and the FA Cup while being decisive in key matches. Added to this are his performances at the 2026 World Cup, where he finished as the top African scorer with four goals.
To make matters worse, the new date chosen by CAF (December 2nd) coincides with a Premier League matchday, featuring a clash between Chelsea and Ismaïla Sarr's team, Crystal Palace. In other words, the Senegalese player, among the favorites for the 2026 Ballon d'Or, will be forced to miss the ceremony to attend the London derby.
“I am increasingly convinced that Hakimi will win the African Ballon d’Or. The ceremony, initially scheduled for the 7th, has been moved to the 2nd, allowing Hakimi to attend, while Sarr has a match that day. Voting, which opened on November 5th, closes on the 20th, without even waiting for the CAS verdict… Yet another stroke of genius from CAF,” wrote the Joueurs SN sur X page, followed by 397,000 people. On Facebook, the Viral Foot page, with 22,000 followers, also expressed outrage. “It’s truly shameful! But let’s be serious! Since when do the interests of one player have to take precedence over those of others? Ismaïla Sarr deserves just as much consideration and respect. CAF, you are really disappointing us! It’s time to show some impartiality and treat all players equally. It’s simply regrettable.”








Commentaires (22)
Achraf le mérite largement. Comment iso peut-il prétendre gagner ce trophée devant Hakimi. Il faut arrêter waay.
Le ballon d’or récompense les performances du joueur mais pas de son équipe, il y’a donc nuance. C’est le PSG qui a remporté la LDC mais pas Hakimi. Harry Kane a remporté le ballon d’or et pourtant le Bayern n’a pas gagné la LDC. Il faut donc juger et mettre en avant les performances individuelles des joueurs !
Si le sport en Afrique se résume à ça et qu'on l'accepte on doit se taire.
Chacun à son tour chez le coiffeur!
On peut lui accorder le double ballon d'or
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